When you shoot landscapes, you need to have a variety of camera gear and accessories to give yourself the best chance of getting the shot you want.
Though cameras, lenses, and tripods are typically the first things you think of when you think of landscape photography gear, lens filters are another critical part of any landscape photography kit.
One such filter is a graduated neutral density filter. Actually, there are various kinds of these filters, which can cause some confusion, especially for beginner photographers.
In this landscape photography filter guide, you'll learn what a graduated ND filter is and what the different types of ND grads can do for your photos.
What is a Graduated Neutral Density Filter?
A graduated neutral density filter is a piece of glass or resin that attaches to the end of a camera lens, as shown above.
These filters have a gradation to their filtering power, from dark on top to light on bottom.
The "neutral" part of the name comes from the fact that the filter should have no impact on the colors in the scene - they remain as they appear.
The purpose of a graduated neutral density filter is to darken a bright sky without darkening the landscape. This is done to prevent overexposure of the sky, the result of which, is a much more pleasing image.
That is, rather than having to expose the image for the sky and have a dark foreground, or expose for the foreground and have a bright sky, with a graduated ND filter, you can get a well-exposed image throughout.
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Types of Graduated ND Filters
There are three types of graduated ND filters: hard grads, soft grads, and reverse grads.
Reverse grads are made specifically for sunrise and sunset shots in which the brightest part of the scene is in the middle of the image.
As such, the darkest area of a reverse ND grad is in the middle, with a gradual lightening of the filter moving outward from the middle.
Let's take a look at hard and soft ND grads in more detail, as they are much more common.
Hard ND Filters
Hard ND filters have a very definite line between the darkened areas and undarkened areas of the filter.
In other words, the transition from one to the other is very abrupt, which creates a hard line between the darkened and undarkened areas.
Because these filters have such an abrupt change, they are best suited for landscapes that have a definite horizon, like when shooting a photo of the ocean.
By adding a hard ND grad to your lens, you can control the amount of light that enters the camera from the sky, bring that brightness down, and get a much more even exposure throughout the shot.
Different hard ND filters have different features and qualities.
For example, the H&Y 100x150mm K-Series 0.6 Filter shown above offers two-stops of light reduction, meaning, the brightness of the sky is darkened by two full stops in-camera.
What's more, these filters are constructed of Gorilla glass, which gives them improved scratch resistance, as well as better clarity and color rendition than other hard ND grads.
Maybe best of all, this filter has a quick-release magnetic frame, which makes it incredibly easy to add or remove the filter as you see fit (as well as stack different filters on top of one another).
When shopping for an ND grad, it's important to look at features like this to ensure you're getting a high-quality filter that will perform well.
Soft ND Filters
Unlike hard graduated ND filters, soft ND grads have a very gradual transition from the darkened to the light areas of the filter.
Given that the gradation is much more gradual, these ND grads are best suited for landscapes that do not have a definite horizon.
For example, if the scene has trees or mountains that peak up above the horizon line, a soft edge grad is more appropriate.
That's because a soft ND grad's filtering power eases the transition from light to dark, allowing elements that are in both light and dark areas of the photo to appear normal.
Again, soft edge grads come in various filtering powers and have different features, depending on the manufacturer.
For example, H&Y offers 2-stop, 3-stop, and 4-stop soft ND grads, with the 2-stop filter providing half the darkening power of the 4-stop filter.
They also have eight layers of anti-glare coating, that way you're sure to get images that are as free of flare and ghosting as possible.
Additionally, when looking for soft ND grads, opt for filters that have an anti-smear coating to cut down on fingerprints and smudges. Filters with water and oil-repellent features is also handy.
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Final Thoughts
Both soft and hard ND grads are a valuable addition to your photography kit.
They help you get a better-exposed image by limiting dynamic range and improving the likelihood of getting a good exposure.
What's more, using these filters allows you to reduce the shutter speed to get blurry effects in features like water or clouds, and you can also open the aperture wider to reduce the depth of field.
As noted above, just be sure to do your due diligence and research different brands of filters to ensure you get the best one for your needs.
I personally enjoy using H&Y filters because they're impeccably made, produce excellent results, and with their magnetic frames, they're incredibly easy to use as well!